Gilmore Girls was an American comedy-drama television series, created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel.
The show debuted on October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagship series for the network. Gilmore Girls originally ran for seven seasons, with the final season moving to The CW, and ended its run on May 15, 2007.
The show’s main focus is on the relationship between single mother Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter Rory, who live in Stars Hollow, Connecticut, a small fictional town filled with colorful characters.
The series explores issues of family, romance, education, friendship, disappointment, and ambition, along with generational divides and social class, the latter themes manifesting through Lorelai’s difficult relationship with her high society parents, Emily and Richard, and Rory’s experiences at an elite high school and later on at Yale University.
Sherman-Palladino, who served as showrunner for the majority of the series, infused Gilmore Girls with distinctive fast-paced dialogue filled with pop culture references.
After season six, when the series moved to its new network, Sherman-Palladino left the show and was replaced by David S. Rosenthal for the final season.
The series was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Television and filmed on the studio’s lot in Burbank, California.
Television critics praised Gilmore Girls for its witty dialogue, cross-generational appeal, and effective mix of humor and drama. I
t never drew large ratings but was a relative success for The WB, peaking during season five as the network’s second most-popular show.
The series has been in daily syndication since 2004, while a growing and dedicated fandom has led to its status as a cult classic.
Since coming off the air, Gilmore Girls has been cited in TV (The Book) and Time magazine as one of the 100 greatest television shows of all time.
In 2016, the main cast and Sherman-Palladino returned for a four-part miniseries revival titled Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, which streamed on Netflix.